TLDR The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has received dozens of inquiries about prediction markets it does not regulate. Staff tell those consumers to contact the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Licensed sportsbooks in the state have returned nearly $10 million to customers after company errors. Massachusetts sportsbooks require bettors to be 21, while Kalshi generally allows eligible adults 18 and older. The state won a preliminary injunction against Kalshi in January 2026, which Kalshi has challenged.
Massachusetts can make licensed sportsbooks pay back customers when the companies make mistakes. It has no such power over prediction markets, and residents are learning that when they ask the state for help.
A Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) spokesperson told Gambling Insider they had personally seen dozens of inquiries about platforms the commission does not regulate. The messages arrive in a general email box that the spokesperson’s team monitors.
Staff reply by telling people the MGC does not oversee prediction markets. They then direct consumers to the CFTC, the federal agency that supervises these exchanges.
The spokesperson could not give an exact count. They also could not say how many messages involved actual customer disputes, or whether the CFTC later helped anyone.
Nearly $10 Million Returned Under State Oversight
Massachusetts has spent three years building rules for licensed sportsbooks. MGC Chair Jordan Maynard’s written testimony to Congress lists 39 enforcement actions with monetary penalties, with operators paying more than $1 million to the state.
Licensed operators have also returned nearly $10 million to customers after errors caused by the companies. The commission can order its own licensees to fix problems that affect bettors.
Maynard argued that the CFTC framework does not offer the same sports betting protections Massachusetts requires. Prediction market exchanges are still subject to federal commodities laws and CFTC oversight.